The invention relates to the field of print job distribution systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a job token printer assignment system to control the information flow and scheduling of printed documents.
In a conventional print job distribution system, print job files are typically transferred across a system network twice. In such conventional systems, a central server first receives an entire print job over a network from a client computer. The central server then parses the print job, determines an appropriate printer for the print job, and then sends the entire print job to the selected printer over the network. While this type of print job distribution system offers centralized control and distribution of printed documents, the system requires that the print job, which may be quite large, is carried twice across the system network; once from the client computer to the print server, and again from the print server to the appropriate printer.
K. Kulbida, S. Haehn and K. Bunker, Document Server for Processing a Distribution Job in a Document Processing System, European Patent Application No. EP 0 77 176 A1 (Filed Nov. 28, 1996) disclose a document processing system that includes a document manager that coordinates the storing and processing of an image data set, and a distribution agent that communicates with the document manager. The document manager routes image data sets and job tickets, which include attributes for controlling the storing or processing of the image data sets at virtual devices.
D. Pinard, H. Sit and A. Niro, Local Area Communications Server, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,446 (Aug. 12, 1997) disclose computer system connected to a local area network (LAN), a local area communications system (LAX) connected to the LAN, peripheral communications devices connected to the LAX, and an apparatus for controlling communications between the devices via the LAX.
A. Kraslavsky, W. Russell, G. Kalwitz, R. Wadsworth and L. Barrett, Apparatus for Coupling Printer with LAN to Control Printer Operation by Transferring Control Parameters, Printer Status Data and Printer Configuration Data Between Printer and LAN, U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,626 (Jul. 16, 1996) disclose a circuit board coupled to a printer for interfacing the printer to a LAN. The board includes a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) for transmitting data to the printer and for receiving print status data form the printer.
W. Russell, A. Kraslavsky, R. Wadsworth, L. Barrett, G. Kalwitz, T. Ip and W. Kuver, Method and Apparatus for Interfacing a Peripheral to a Local Area Network, U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,046 (Mar. 11, 1997) disclose a circuit board coupled to a printer for interfacing the printer to a LAN. A bidirectional printer interface on the board transmits print data to the printer and receives printer status data from the printer. A processor on the board executes both application programs and status and control programs.
S. Kageyama, S. Matsumoto, M. Kitagawa, T. Shimakawa, J. Kazama and T. Okada, Printing System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,757 (Apr. 29, 1997) disclose a printing system having a plurality of terminal equipment, a plurality of printers that can be shared by the terminal equipment, and one or more printer/spooler control servers for receiving a print from the terminal equipment, and for controlling the print job by a printer. The system also includes a distributed printing management server, for various errors that occur in the printers. While Kageyama et al. disclose a networked printing system, print jobs are transferred through the print server.
L. Barrett, W. Russell, A. Kraslavsky, R. Wadsworth and G. Kalwitz, Method and Apparatus for Managing Access to a Networked Peripheral, U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,056 (Jul. 8, 1997) disclose a method and apparatus for interfacing a peripheral to a LAN with an interactive network board connected to the peripheral device. An access management program establishes direct communication between a network client and the network board. The board may also execute a peripheral server program such as a print server.
R. Wadsworth, W. Russell, G. Kalwitz, L. Barrett and A. Kraslavsky, System for an Interactive Network Board Remotely Configurable by Selecting from a Plurality of Functionality Defining Software, Such as a Printer Server Stored in PROM, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,448 (Aug. 12, 1997) disclose a method and apparatus for forming an operational configuration of an interactive network card coupled to a LAN printer.
L. Furman, Printing System with File Specification Parsing Capability, U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,653 (Jan. 9, 1996) discloses a printing system for producing prints based on a print file specification, which includes a work station and a print server for storing the print file. An operating system permits communication between the work station and the print server. A disclosed parsing arrangement converts the format of the print file when a call to output the print file is sent from the work station to the print server. While Furman discloses a system for producing prints based on a print file specification, the print file is transferred to and stored within the print server.
E. Brindle, J. Czudak and D. Mensing, System for Printing Image Data in a Versatile Print Server, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,469 (Jun. 11, 1996) disclose a system for connecting a source of image data to an output device for printing the image data. A portion of the image data is polled for the presence of the data image format. The format structure operates the output device to print the image data. While Brindle et al. disclose a system for printing image data, the system transfers the image data twice, once from image data sources to the print server, and again from the print server to the printer.
D. McLaughlin, Document Job Key to Tailor Multifunctional User Interfaces, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,079 (May 13, 1997) discloses a document key for determining selections needed to support a combination of services. The user can specify document source and document destination characteristics.
B. Bigby, M. O""Brien and E. Brindle, Apparatus and Method for Determining the Page Description Language in Which a Print Job is Written, U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,527 (Mar. 28, 1995) disclose a printing system from a print job written in one of a plurality of page description languages, wherein analyzing units sample the print job and output information regarding the print job, such as the page description language in which the print job is written.
E. Brindle, J. Czudak, C. Willette, J. Bernard, C. Nail, M. Campanella, S. Fedele, and G. Tellex, System for Controlling the Printing of Electronic Documents with Various Page Description Languages and Other Parameters, U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,801 (Dec. 12, 1995) disclose a network comprising a plurality of computers having various page description languages (PDL""s) are interfaced to a central printer, wherein a user can control the printing of electronic documents.
L. Harkins, K. Hayward, T. Herceg, J. Levine and D. Parsons, User Interface for Defining and Automatically Transmitting Data According to Preferred Communication Channels, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,461 (Aug. 12, 1997) disclose a user interface for the distribution of information to a receiver on a network, using devices such as printers, and communications channels defined in a receiver profile. Receivers control network senders, by controlling sender channel access to a receiver by defining channel access priority, and by selectively allowing senders to override the receiver profile.
L. Harkins, J. Levine, K. Hayward, D. Parsons and T. Herceg, User Interface for Defining and Automatically Transmitting Data According to Preferred Communication Channels, European Patent Application No. 0 646 857 A1 (Filed Sep. 30, 1994) disclose a user interface for the distribution of information to a receiver on a network, using devices such as printers, and communications channels defined in a receiver profile. Receivers control network senders, by controlling sender channel access to a receiver by defining channel access priority, and by selectively allowing senders to override the receiver profile.
A. Suzuki, K. Yamada, K. Nishiyama, T. Nakatani, and Y. Nakamura, Job Scheduling System for Print Processing, European Patent Application No. EP 0 738 957 A1 (Filed Oct. 20, 1995) disclose a print job scheduling system, in which a plurality of documents are assigned attributes by user equipment, and are sent to a job scheduling device. The job scheduling device pauses documents, performs other job scheduling and processing functions, and executes the transfer and printing of the plurality of documents. While Suzuki et al. disclose a job scheduling system for print processing, the system transfers the print jobs twice, once from user equipment to the job scheduling device, and again from the job scheduling device to a printer.
Y. Mori, F. Abe, K. Ishiguro, S. Ueyama, M. Ito, T. Sato, Y. Saitoh and Y. Kida, Network Printer Apparatus, European Patent Application No. 0 653 700 A1 (Filed Oct. 3, 1994) disclose a network printing apparatus, which processes and transfers printing information sequentially from a client, to a LAN interface driver, a communication protocol controller, a spooling controller, a storage unit, a print controller, and to a printer. While Mori et al. disclose a networked printer apparatus, the printing information is transferred to the spooling controller, stored at the intermediate storage unit, and is then sent again to the printer.
It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus to minimize the transfer of print files across a network. It would also be advantageous to provide a method to minimize the transfer of print files across a network, while providing centralized accounting information.
While the disclosed prior art systems and methodologies provide basic printing and printer control systems, they fail to provide a print server print job token that minimizes network loads, while providing central printer control and accounting information. The development of such a print job distribution and scheduling system would constitute a major technological advance.
A client provides a job ticket token to a print server, which contains the profile of a print job to be printed. The print server parses the job ticket token, determines an appropriate printer for the print job, and returns a selected printer token to the client, that includes the network address and name of the selected printer. The client then sends the print job, accompanied by the selected printer token, to the appropriate printer. In this way, the print job is assigned to a proper printer for the print job by the print server. One advantage of the invention is that the print server does not see the print job, but merely the job ticket token of the print job. Accordingly, the print server does not have to spool a large print job, but merely has to identify the characteristics contained in the job ticket token, and assign the print job to an appropriate printer. Further, because the print job is not transferred to the print server, but merely from the client to the printer, the network does not have to carry the print job twice.